


The Nightingale and the Halla

by Skarias



Series: Andraste's Grace [1]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games)
Genre: F/F, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-09
Updated: 2018-09-16
Packaged: 2019-07-10 08:17:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,115
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15945407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skarias/pseuds/Skarias
Summary: 'In hindsight, there ever only was one person that knew Leliana, every part of the enigma that was the Nightingale. Once she thought that someone to be Marjolaine.'Eventual reunion of Leliana and her Warden.





	1. The Nightingale

 

 

 

Leliana was many things. She knew, of course, what the people outside her inner circle thought of her, those who believed to know her, it was her job to do so after all. Most of them feared her, so afraid of the cold, scheming Nightingale that would one day destroy everything they've worked so hard to achieve. Reveal their secrets and sing until their kingdoms were reduced to nothing but ash.

 

It would never not astonish her time and time again how these people thought themselves to be the center of Thedas. Leliana had bigger concerns than petty nobles. When one bothered to turn the page, they would leave the Nightingale behind, and find something below the frightening name. To her friends she was just that, Leliana, a once bard on a mad quest to save the world. Again.

 

She couldn't allow herself to be more than that, this wasn't the blight, this time her warden wouldn't be there to burst in and lead them to victory. This time she couldn't allow herself to make friends with people that might be dead tomorrow. She couldn't allow for them to make decisions for her sake. There was too much at stake.

 

In hindsight, there ever only was one person that knew Leliana, every part of the enigma that was the Nightingale. Once she thought that someone to be Marjolaine, she had been so foolish to give her heart away so easily. To a woman so quick to betray everything Leliana believed she knew about the bard.

 

Thrown from the velvet beds of Orlais to the dark dungeons, charged with high treason for a crime she didn't commit. It was funny, really, looking back now, in the most tasteless of ways. If someone had told her that, one day, she wouldn't want to turn back time and change what had happened to her and her mistress, she would've thought them mad.

 

But everything changed in Lothering, didn't it? When she met a woman so infuriatingly unordinary it should have been a crime. A dalish elf of all things, amidst an ex templar and the witch of the wilds, it sounded like a bad joke what was about to be Leliana's new life. It couldn't have felt more right.

 

That was a decade ago. It didn't feel like it was. Sometimes she could still feel her warm breath against her neck, an arm draped around her waist in the lonely mornings in Skyhold. The dark locks of her curly hair never survived after the spymaster awoke from her dreams.

 

Leliana had to remind herself that she was out there for both their sakes. To find a cure for the uncureable. She would return, her warden, and they would get the ever after they have bled and fought for.

 

"Sister Leliana!" the hooded man rested his arms on his knees, sprinting through half the fortress having stolen most of his breath, "Sister Leliana. I was told to deliver this to you immediately, a raven just brought it in."

 

Leliana smiled as she took the letter and dismissed the runner, he tried not to think about the uncharacteristically genuine expression on the Nightingale's face as he took his leave. He wasn't sure he had ever seen the spymaster smile before.

 

The sun had long set when nothing but a lone candle illuminated the former bard's loft. A single tear rolling down one of her cheeks as she read the first words of the letter over and over again.

 

_Ma vhenan,_

 


	2. The Halla

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You look like an idiot. Anyone ever tell you that?"

 

 

 

Sarah's story was supposed to be over.

 

She had been ready to go when the blinding golden light enveloped her, blades still stuck deep inside the Archdemons monstrous form. After all it had to be her, even if Alistair would forever hate her for pushing him out of the way and going for the kill herself. That had been the plan from the moment Riordan told them about the sacrifice necessary to end the blight. Ferelden needed it's king.

 

That day she learnt that she hadn't been the only one who was keeping secrets.

 

She never got the details from her fellow warden, she wasn't sure she wanted them. All she needed to know is that Alistair and Morrigan made some sort of pact that ended up saving her life.

 

Sarah wondered what Leliana might've looked like in black, she probably would've worn black. The bard would have cried and held a little speech about her, it would have been beautiful and bittersweet, everything she did was always so beautiful. She would've moved on eventually. Found someone that could give her all the things the elf never could. Someone she could gossip about Orlesians, take shopping for expensive clothes and talk about the shoes she was so obsessed about.

 

The warden would never know what might've happened. All she knew is that she was grinning from ear to ear and the piece of paper in her hand still smelled of Andraste's Grace.

 

"You look like an idiot. Anyone ever tell you that?" the renegade mage's voice made her look up from the letter. She blinked a few times, her eyes adjusting to the bright campfire and finding him leaning against one of the trees surrounding them.

 

"Is that so? I think I liked you better before you started glowing blue." she quipped, the smile on her face betraying her mock anger.

 

"What will you do after we wrapped up our business at Weisshaupt? Will you return to her?" Anders asked, moving closer towards the fire as another gust of icy wind blew through the forest.

 

"I will. The calling, our curse, is gone once and for all and...I'm tired, Anders. I'm tired of fearing for her life every day I'm not with her." the warden said, and after a moment of hesitation added, "You could come with me, you know that, don't you? My Nightingale tells me your Hawk has not yet left Skyhold. "

 

The blonde mage chuckled, "She stopped being my Hawk a long time ago, Sarah. I don't know if I can do anything to regain her trust after everything that has happened in Kirkwall."

 

"I don't believe you're the same man that you try to convince yourself to be, lethallin. You should talk to her, at the very least." 

 

"I...I will consider it, thank you." he smiled, turning towards his tent he vanished behind the fabric and the elf was left alone staring into the flames.

 

The warden fell asleep looking at the stars high above them, her gaze coming to a halt once she found the familiar cluster of stars she was looking for. The letter in the pocket above her heart pressed against her chest as she recounted the tale of two lovers she heard so long ago.


	3. The Songbird

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I don't think he locked door behind him."
> 
> "I don't think I care."

 

 

 

The ever present sound of raven wings beating all around her had been a part of her morning routine for far too long to feel out of place in the massive fortress. While there were always ravens coming and going, the traffic in and around the upper level fo Skyhold's rotunda was by far the heaviest during the early morning hours.

 

Leliana lived for those rare moments in which she didn't have an inhumanly sized pile of paperwork waiting for her in her office to work through and could enjoy a quiet moment before the troubles of Skyhold would eventually catch up to her. Resting her arms on the battlements the spymaster allowed herself a few seconds to let her gaze wander over the Frostbacks

 

The sunrise above the surrounding mountains was breathtakingly beautiful and always reminded her of the peaceful years she were able to spendin Lothering's chantry. The morning services required the sisters so prepare everything early into the day, which had the added benefit of being able to watch the sunset during the ceremonies.

 

If she were honest to herself, she would have to confess that she missed the services she had grown accustumed to in the small village now forever lost to the blight. In a way it took her voice as well, she couldn't remember the last time she had sang in a chantry or anywhere else because she wanted to. Even that incident were they almost froze to death after Haven was destroyed by Corypheus felt hollow and empty when she compared it to Lothering or the long nights around the campfire everywhere and nowhere at the same time.

 

Taking a deep breath the Nightingale withdrew herself from the battlements and made her way back towards her loft. She didn't get far before a runner practically ran her over.

 

"Sister Leliana! One of the scouts has just reported in. He reports to have sighted at least one battalion of armored troops approaching from they valley below. I've send word to Commander Cullen and-"

 

"A battalion? Under what banner?" the Nightingale interjected, one hand placed on the wooden door leading inside the rotunda, having to restrain herself not to throw her fist against it in vexation.

 

"We're not sure, the scout must have gotten in wrong in the darkness. It's impossible that-"

 

"Don't tell me about impossibilities, soldier. Tell me exactly what they think they saw."

 

"Grey Wardens, my Lady. It's absurd, no one has seen the Wardens in years. It must be some rouse or a trick."

 

She pushed the door open, ignoring the rambling man next to her and already planning the speech she would give Cullen as soon as she got to his office about not doing anything that would provoke a diplomatic incident, she had enough of those in the last year alone.

 

The Nightingale stopped dead in her tracks as soon as she saw the person occupying her desk, leaning back into the chair and booth feet firmly over the desk.

 

"Creators. That really ruined the surprise, didn't it?" the elf groaned, the silvery griffon embedded in her left shoulder faintly reflecting in the incoming sunlight.

 

"Soldier, what's your name?" Leliana asked, doing her best to keep her face neutral and ignore the other presence in the room.

 

"William, my Lady."

 

"William, tell Cullen to immediately drop any and all plans to engage the Wardens. They are our allies in this fight and are to be treated as such."

 

"But Sister Nigh-"

 

"That's an order. Leave us."

 

The door shut close with a loud crash behind the apprehensive scout who couldn't get out of the room fast enough that must've woken even the heaviest sleepers of Skyhold. 

 

"Most people would send word ahead before they march in with an army." Leliana whispered just loud enough for the warden to hear her.

 

"And pass the opportunity to see that look on the Inquisition's spymaster? Most people sound terribly boring." she smiled, closing the distance between them not a heartbeat later.

 

"I don't think he locked door behind him." the Nightingale gasped after several moments that passed far too quickly for her liking, the need for air getting the better of her.

 

"I don't think I care." the warden breathed, throwing the cowl covering familiar red hair towards the floor and pressing her against the nearest wall. She smiled into the kiss and felt Leliana do the same.

 

"I missed you, vhenan." 


	4. The Inquisiton

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "What Dorian meant to say," she shot him an angry look only betrayed by her lips that twitched up into a smile ever so slightly as she spoke, "is that it's nice to see you happy, Leliana."

 

 

**The Inquisition**

 

 

Leliana was surprised when she reluctantly opened her eyes and awoke to glistening sunlight streaming into the loft through the windows across the room. It had been so very long since the last time she hadn't begun occupying herself with one thing or another before the sun had even begun to rise. It took her a few moments before she managed the gather enough confidence to turn her head towards the other side of the bed. A smile she couldn't fight quickly spread across her face as familiar blue eyes looked back into her own.

 

"Hi." the warden breathed, brushing a loose strain of red her out of her face and tucking it behind her ear before closing the small gap between them and pressing her own lips to Leliana's.

 

They broke apart too soon, Sarah letting out a small whimper as the Nightingale trailed one thumb along the familiar marks tracing along the warden's face. The lines of ink still visible even if the years since the blight had done their best to wash them away completely. She could feel her mind drifting of and was thankful for the voice pulling her back into reality.

 

"Leli? Look at me, what's wrong?"

 

"When I awoke just now, I...I was scared." the Nightingale admitted, softly cupping the elf's cheek, "I was afraid you would be gone, that everything had been nothing but yet another beautiful but ultimately fleeting dream. They always feel so real. Just you and me far away from everything else. Sometimes I would lay awake and wish I could just go back stay in one of them forever. It is terribly naive, is it not? A world without darkspawn, without the treachery of the game in Orlais. A world without Corypheus."

 

"Maybe, maybe not. But after Alistair and I almost died at Ostagar, I thought we wouldn't survive another day, let alone years and manage to defeat the Archdemon. And look where I ended up, sharing a bed with the most beautiful woman in Thedas." the dark haired woman smiled, "I often think about that day I met you outside that tavern in Lothering, you had that easy smile on your face, could take out two men before they even knew what was happening and you would never lose hope, even if all odds were against us. That's one of the reasons I fell in love with you."

 

"I love you, Sarah. I love you and will never let you leave without me ever again as long as you will have me." Leliana said and let out a surprised gasp as the warden shifted their positions and was now on top of her.

 

"Good, because I don't plan on leaving any time soon," she whispered while leaning down towards the Nightingale's ear, a playful smirk on her lips, "In the meantime, why don't I show you just how real I am?"

 

-

 

The dining hall was scarcely populated by the time they emerged from the spymaster's loft and made their way towards one of the tables scattered across the great room. If any of the few residents of Skyhold that inhabited the hall made a comment about the missing hood that usually covered the Nightingale's face, or the fact that she strode through the room fingers interlaced with an elf, she didn't hear any them. The warden herself had changed out of her heavy, far too recognizeable armor and instead dressed more casually, a thick jacket fighting off most of the biting cold ever present in the fortress.

 

"The Nightingale is gracing us with her presence? Bloody hell the world really is coming to an end." the Tevinter mage  called from one of the tables, turning around towards the sound the warden was met with a wide arrangement of people. The man in question looking at them with a mixture of curiosity and disbelief before a slap on the arm from the woman seated next to him made him laugh out loud instead.

 

"What Dorian meant to say," she shot him an angry look only betrayed by her lips that twitched up into a smile ever so slightly as she spoke, "is that it's nice to see you happy, Leliana."

 

After exchanging a quick look in which the warden raised a skeptical eyebrow, the spymaster finally nodded after but a moment of hesitation and the pair sat down opposite of the two mages. It was only then that Sarah noticed the adorned pendant around the woman's neck that was shaped similarily to the one Leliana wore, she could piece the rest together from the bits and pieces she knew from the letters she received.

 

"Inquisitor." the warden acknowledged her.

 

"Warden-Commander." the Inquisitor greeted her, the knowing smile never leaving her face as she took another bite from her breakfast.

 

"It's just Sarah, please. It appears news travel fast across the fortress." the elf replied, she never quiet got used to all the unnecessary formality inside the human hierarchy.

 

"Evelyn, and I only knew that the Warden-Commander arrived at Skyhold. I hadn't known it was you until you walked in here, hand in hand with the woman most people have never seen leave her office."

 

"I must say I am especially surprised to see you." Dorian interjected, "I made the mistake of wanting to return one of the books you lended me last week, you sounded rather... preoccupied last night. Of all people I exptected our spymaster to know how thin the walls can be." he laughed and the warden couldn't help the grin forming on her lips even while she fought the heat rapidly building up on her face and racing to reach the tip of her ears.

 

"Anyway," Evelyn tried to save the warden from bursting into flame and any future embarrassment, "I'm going to try to drag our dear Commander out of his office, wish me luck!"

 

After they finished their meal, Sarah wasn't sure anything could ever cure the appetite of a warden, she let herself be led towards one of the many doors leading out of the hall and into a neat little office, the room brightly illuminated by a great window running along the wall.

 

The woman seated on the desk, the table seemingly overflowing with paperwork and only one a gust of wind away from a catastrophe, needed but a moment to tear her attention away from the document she was currently reading andsmiled warmly at the two woman as soon as she recognized the spymaster.

 

"Leliana, it's so good to see you." she said while embracing the Nightingale and turning her attention towards the warden, before she could say anything, however, Leliana quickly cut her off.

 

"Josie, this is Warden-Commander Sarah Mahariel." she intruced the elf, "Sarah, this is Josephine Montilyet. We met in Val Royeaux after the blight and-"

 

The warden listened attentively as Leliana recounted the tale of how she met the Inquisition's ambassador many years before they would meet again as advisers to Inquisitor Tevelyan, that familiar spark never leaving the bards eyes as she was sucked into the story. Sarah let herself be dragged through the fortress by Josephine, the Antivan pointing out every detail of the architecture and the nobility currently residing at Skyhold as they walked past them. She couldn't help but smile every time she looked at Leliana, the carefree expression on her face she had missed so much making her fall in love all over again.


End file.
